But some Central Florida economic experts note that more powerful state and federal politicians have drawn up equally ambitious job plans — with little to show for it.

"We need to recognize that, at the county level, there are limited things that can be done to counteract the kind of forces going on at the state and national levels," said professor Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Economic Competitiveness.

Even so, Snaith and Rollins College international business professor Mary Conway Dato-on point out that any incentives or confidence a new mayor ushers in could prod a wavering business to expand sooner than it planned, or even coax a new company to move here.

As part of an ongoing series on key issues in the county mayor's race, the Orlando Sentinel asked several Central Florida economic and business analysts not affiliated with either campaign to size up both plans, and asked each candidate to critique their competitor's ideas.

Both candidates promise smoother, less cumbersome permitting processes. And each wants to target key biomedical, modeling and simulation, green-technology and tourism sectors.

From there, though, they take different strategic and philosophical paths.

The Segal Plan

Segal's main campaign pitch is that he's the best candidate to sit across a negotiating table from Orange's next big employer. Segal also is quick to point out Jacobs has never run a company, while he can tap three decades of experience as a developer and restaurateur.

Segal offers two key initiatives in his larger 27-point plan. One is a $3,000 property-tax credit for small-business owners for each job they create at 150 percent of the median wage level – or about $60,000 a year. While state incentives target big employers, Segal aims for companies that hire 10 workers or less.

The job-tax rebate program would be funded at $3 million, for up to 1,000 jobs. Segal would pay for it with expected increases in state-sales-tax revenues.

Also, Segal would steer all major development through an economic development director, to ensure big job producers are handled properly, something the city of Orlando already does.

Pros: Snaith and others said Segal's plan focuses specifically on job creation, and it's easy to understand. Plus, Segal's plan could be quickly enacted soon after he took office. The jobs and economic activity it would generate should easily recoup the tax breaks offered to business, Segal says.

"My plan will get to work a lot quicker," Segal said in a recent TV debate. "I wanted to throw people a life preserver here in this time, not a lot of bureaucracy."

Cons: Jacobs and others point out that a small employer deciding whether to take on the $60,000 salary — not including benefit costs — may be unlikely to do it for just a $3,000 rebate on next year's tax bill.

"That's a drop in the bucket," said Dato-on.

Snaith also said it's not certain in this economy that sales-tax increases can pay for the program.

The Jacobs Plan

Jacobs has a degree in economics and started her banking career handling investments. That, she says, grounded her in business-world issues.

Her jobs plan revolves around a more complicated program that aims for more than job creation. It seeks to spur broader economic activity. But it also would need voter approval, which Jacobs would push for in the spring.

Jacobs would leverage an existing state program that allows local governments to give tax exemptions to targeted industries and small businesses that invest in new buildings, inventory or equipment, which also results in at least 10 new jobs at about the same $60,000 level Segal is aiming for.

The tax break would typically last three to five years, but possibly up to 10, and it would not give breaks on existing property, building or equipment — just new purchases or expansions. So a company that made a $1 million expansion and hired 10 workers at $60,000 could qualify for county tax breaks, or about $8,500 annually based on the county tax rate.

Jacobs also said she would push for transparency and ethics reforms to foster a culture where businesses can count on certain rules, timelines and decision-making processes.

Pros: "It's broader and bolder, in that it has a potentially higher return on it," Snaith said of Jacobs plan, pointing to its possible impact on promoting investment beyond job creation.

Another selling point for Jacobs is that no taxpayer money would be required from the existing budget, just future revenue collections would be forfeited. "My plan doesn't blow a hole in the budget," Jacobs said.

Cons: Segal and some economists pointed out that the tax rebate may still not be large enough to drive economic activity. "It's not a lot of money," said Segal spokesman Josh Wilson, who added it would also take longer to enact.

Plus, Snaith said the voter-referendum element adds a level of uncertainty to the Jacobs plan.